CHENNAI: If the Asian Games were held last year, Kiran Baliyan would have been just another athlete shrouded in obscurity. Leave alone winning a medal but until a few months ago, she was not even part of the national camp and was not supposed to travel to Hangzhou for the Games.
The Athletics Federation of India has a very strict policy of an athlete being part of a national camp to be considered for the national team. The Uttar Pradesh thrower managed 17.38m to finish behind China's Olympic champion Gong Lijiao, who threw 19.58m, and Song Jiayuan (18.92m). Kiran needed the third throw to be among the medallists while compatriot and national record holder Manpreet Kaur finished fifth.
Yet, on a day when the tracks and the throwing pits were soaked in rainwater, Kiran managed to win India their first medal in athletics at the ongoing Games. Former Asian and Commonwealth Games medallist Seema Antil has been an integral figure in her life. She has been supporting her for quite some time and it was Seema who thought Kiran should join the national camp before being considered for the national team.
Seema was there at the stands on Friday and had been guiding Kiran in Hangzhou.
What seems interesting is that Kiran wanted to be a javelin thrower but her coach Robin Singh, who, like her, also hails from Meerut, advised her to take up the shot put.
"Her physique was suited more for shot put than javelin and we decided to train in shot put," Robin told this daily from Meerut. Unlike most athletes, Kiran is apparently good at studies. "She is good in studies and completed her post-graduation in physical education," said Robin, who has been coaching her since 2014.
However, Robin said that if not for Seema it would have been difficult for Kiran to improve.
"Seema is 'didi' to us. She helped her with everything – guiding her In training, helping her with nutrition and supplements, and even money if need be for sport," said Robin. "She also used to look into her weight training and advise us accordingly. The Athletics Federation of India also helped her to be in the camp and now she is training there as well. The federation too has done a lot."
In fact, it is Seema who told Kiran a day before the event that she should remain focused and not get overwhelmed by the enormity of the stage. Seema told her that anything above 17m would be a medal-winning prospect.
Seema, however, did not want to speak much about her contribution towards Kiran's rise, saying the coach was working well with her. "The coach has been working with her and he must get the credit. Whenever youngsters ask you about training and advice, it's my duty to help," Seema told this daily from Hangzhou. "So I told her what is needed to motivate her, where she needs to throw and how... so that she wins medals, what distance she needs to clear. Basically, sharing my experience with her. I hope I can continue to help youngsters and help them qualify for the Olympics."
Like most athletes in the country, it had not been all smooth for Kiran either. The coach said her parents were supportive and her mother used to bring her to practice.
"They used to stay in rented accommodation and bring her to the stadium," he said. Now that Kiran has landed a job with the Rajasthan Police as an inspector, she is able to support her parents as well. In fact, at the World Police Games this year, she threw the iron to 18.13m (not ratified). In the Indian Grand Prix in Chandigarh earlier this month, she managed her personal best of 17.92m. The distance in China, in fact, was close to her personal best.
In the early days, it was not easy for her to maintain her diet and training. "Seema didi used to help her with whatever she needed," he said. "For sportspersons, there are multiple requirements to improve. So, whenever we struggled or she needed any support for sports, Seema used to be there."